Eastern Conference No. 1 vs. Western Conference No. 1
After chatting with Wang Zhizhi for a while, Li Chen hung up the phone and then called back to recount Wang Zhizhi's situation.
Alvin Gentry was delighted because Li Chen's "death lineup" made him feel very insecure. To be honest, without a center, he was really worried. Now that Wang Zhizhi had delivered himself to his doorstep, how could he refuse?
On the other hand, Sports Illustrated also analyzed whether the Knicks could break the Lakers ' 33-game winning streak.
The final conclusion was that, assuming Crawford hadn't been injured, the Knicks had a 50% chance of winning.
However, the current probability is only 30%.
The media isn't just making things up; they have solid evidence, because the Knicks' next opponent is the Phoenix Suns, who are currently ranked first in the Western Conference with a record of 32 wins and 1 loss.
It's important to know that since Michael Jordan retired, the league has consistently been dominated by the Western Conference and weaker than the Eastern Conference.
Therefore, they believe the Phoenix Suns ' 31-2 record is more impressive.
This comment greatly displeased Knicks fans.
In the evening, Li Chen practiced three-point shooting for an hour in his own gym before preparing to go back to his room to sleep.
As soon as I opened the villa door, I saw Avril sitting on the sofa, looking like a grumpy baby.
"What's wrong, Avril?" Li Chen asked, walking over to her and sitting down.
"Look at them, they're actually badmouthing the Knicks, it's outrageous." Avril handed a sports magazine to Li Chen.
After a short while, Li Chen carefully read the speculations of those so-called legends in the sports magazine.
It must be said that these analyses do have some merit.
Just then, Avril clenched her little fist and said resolutely, "Chen, as long as we beat the Phoenix Suns tomorrow night, I... I..."
"Me... what?"
"Avril, I've been trying for ages and I still can't come up with anything?" Li Chen asked jokingly.
"Then I... I will never surrender."
Li Chen was somewhat surprised, then looked at her slender figure, shook his head and said, "Forget it!"
Avril was stunned for a moment, then suddenly pounced on Li Chen like a maddened female leopard, baring her fangs and claws.
"You bastard, don't look down on me."
Then...
The next day.
At nine o'clock, the players arrived one after another at the Madison Square Garden Training Gym.
His teammates weren't surprised to see Li Chen practicing shuttle runs.
They greeted him with smiles.
Soon after, Alvin Gentry arrived at the stadium and began calling out names one by one.
A moment later, Alvin Gentry roared through gritted teeth, "Can anyone tell me where JR Smith is?"
Yes, JR Smith didn't come to practice.
At this moment, Li Chen's lips twitched. He had a bad feeling; this kid couldn't possibly be...
A moment later, Alvin Gentry called JR Smith, but the phone was switched off.
JR Smith arrived late, still half asleep, around 11 a. m.
Seeing JR Smith's unsteady gait, Li Chen wanted to cover his face, thinking, "How many rounds of battle did you have tonight to get yourself like this?"
Alvin Gentry was furious at JR Smith's pathetic state.
"JR Smith, $50,000 fine for unexcused absence."
Alvin Gentry was furious. Yesterday, his boss Dolan, called him and repeatedly told him that he absolutely had to win today's game, and he even patted his chest and guaranteed it.
But now, JR Smith, who played brilliantly in the last game, has become a spineless coward. How can they possibly win?!
On the other side, JR Smith stood there with his neck stiff, looking like he was full of resentment and dissatisfaction.
Seeing this, Li Chen's lips twitched again. He was certain that this guy was going to do something unexpected. He wondered if his own coach would get beaten up!
Oh dear! This guy's really difficult to deal with! With that awful personality, I hope I won't end up with nothing.
Lost in thought, he pulled JR Smith away; he couldn't let things escalate.
A moment later, JR Smith flung Li Chen's hand away and looked at Li Chen with a hint of hostility.
This hostility puzzled Li Chen, but he didn't care.
After thinking for a moment, Li Chen asked curiously, "Hey kid, how many times a night?"
He was genuinely curious about this.
JR Smith paused for a moment, then asked in surprise, "You, you weren't lecturing me, were you?"
Li Chen gave JR Smith, who looked like a curious child, a strange look, and asked in return, "What you do is your freedom, why should I lecture you?"
Li Chen's words made JR Smith pause for a moment, then he grinned and said, "I usually hate it when people tell me what to do. You're a good Asian, so we're friends from now on."
Li Chen was speechless, thinking to himself, "Is your way of making friends so hasty?"
"Tonight's game is very important for us, that's why Coach Alvin is angry, don't blame him." Li Chen defended Alvin Gentry, he didn't want JR Smith to be in such a mess with Alvin Gentry before Morey even arrived in the NBA that a trade was inevitable.
JR Smith waved his hand dismissively and said magnanimously, "For your sake, I won't stoop to his level."
Li Chen: "..."
This is a conversation we can't have; we're not even on the same wavelength.
JR Smith's situation was finally settled, which relieved him. However, things took an unexpected turn for the worse.
What left Li Chen even more speechless was that Allan Houston's old injury flared up during training, preventing him from playing for a month.
This is simply adding insult to injury; now Li Chen has absolutely no confidence in defeating the Suns.
Before these events unfolded, he was 100% confident of defeating the Suns, but now all he can say is that he did his best.
The arrival of game day transformed Madison Square Garden, a historic basketball mecca, into a vibrant and bustling hub.
Countless Knicks fans, dressed in jerseys and team uniforms, or wrapped in confetti and holding signs, celebrated wildly in the enthusiastic atmosphere.
According to incomplete statistics, Madison Square Garden was 110% full tonight, showing how much Knicks fans were looking forward to this moment.
It's worth mentioning that Avril came to cheer on Li Chen tonight.
As for the idea of never surrendering, she really couldn't do it. But what frustrated her even more was that Li Chen came up with a fancy trick: she could surrender, but she had to sing "Conquer." This made Avril hate the woman named "Ying" who sang that song.
With a loud shout from the DJ, the players entered the field.
As the Knicks entered the arena, the fans cheered, shouted, and expressed their anticipation—anticipation that their heroes would break a 20-year-old record.
They were eager to witness this moment, to witness the Knicks' glorious beginning.
In the TNT broadcast room.
"Madison Square Garden is really lively tonight," Barkley remarked.
"Yes! New York hasn't been this hot in years, but records are records, and they're not easily broken."
Barkley feigned surprise and asked, "Kenny, what do you mean by that?"
Kenny Smith's topic successfully caught the attention of New York Knicks fans watching the game in New York bars and other venues.
At this moment, Kenny Smith smiled slightly and said, "Charles, look at the Knicks' starting lineup."
When fans saw the Knicks' starting lineup, their eyes were filled with disbelief, because the Knicks' starting lineup had undergone a complete overhaul.